Back to school: tips from IAM RoadSmart

The summer holidays have come to a close and for some parents not a moment too soon. Order and normality will resume along with the dreaded school run which starts again for another year. This week’s tips offers advice to drivers and riders on how to survive the term time road rush from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman.

Make sure everyone is in the right seat. If you use child or booster seats, make sure they are still fit for purpose and correctly secured. Check out Good Egg for some top tips: http://www.goodeggcarsafety.com/

Pack for success. Dependent on the age of the little one pack some healthy treats to distract them and keep them engaged, even on a short journey

Leave enough time. Setting off for school can be frustrating and rushed experience with the constant reminding you have to do about PE kit, and other important forgotten or last minute things.A half-eaten breakfast and badly combed hair can put both you and your child in the wrong frame of mind for the start of the day

It’s not a race. In many areas with local schools the motto is ‘20’s plenty.’ Remember that this is limit, not a target. Always help out the school crossing patrol, you will get a friendly wave and a smile

Start them while they’re young. Teach your children about road safety so they know how to behave around moving traffic. Setting a good example while in the driving seat will stay with them in preparation for when they learn to drive. Parking in a safe place and walking the last few metres will not just help with congestion; it will also allow you to teach them the right way to cross a road looking left and right (then right again for us Green Cross code users). Teaching children to use the road sensibly will save lives

Richard said: “Traffic always picks up again after the school holidays so journeys will take longer and potentially be more stressful. Make sure the car is fuelled up and fit and ready for stop-start traffic so you have one less thing to worry about. Due to close supervision children are normally very safe around schools but you can help by taking care. Be aware that after school they are much more likely to be playing in and around the street and safety can be the last thing on their minds after a hard day in the classroom.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Richard Gladman is IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards.

IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com